Noise and vibration onboard aircraft can be discomforting to passengers and may stress aircraft components, resulting in fatigue. Various techniques have been used in aircraft industry to reduce noise and vibration, including the use of viscoelastic or rubber-like, add-on tape or patches. These patches, which may be adhesively applied to certain aircraft components, flex when excited by vibrations, thereby dissipating vibrational energy by converting this energy into heat. The use of viscoelastic patches may have a number of disadvantages in some applications. For example, these patches add weight to the aircraft and their effectiveness may be diminished at certain frequencies and temperatures. Moreover, the effectiveness of viscoelastic patches may degrade over time, and they may not be suitable for use in certain areas of the aircraft.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved techniques for vibration damping in aircraft components which are effective over a wide range of frequencies and temperatures and do not add material weight to the aircraft. There is also a specific need for a wing-to-body fairing that is provided with vibration damping in order to reduce cabin noise.